Mass exodus from south Lebanon

2006-07-17 11:15

Tyre - A mass exodus of residents from southern Lebanon was under way on Monday as terrified civilians braved Israeli missiles and shelling to flee to the relative safety of Beirut.

Villages near the border with Israel were becoming near ghost towns as the inhabitants pushed north in ambulances and other vehicles, or on foot, along back roads that are less targeted.

Police said the sheer number of evacuees amid the ongoing shelling meant they were unable to estimate the number fleeing.

The port town of Tyre, the main urban centre in the region, was already sheltering 25 000 refugees, half of whom had arrived overnight and on Monday, municipal authorities said.

They were being sheltered in schools, mosques and churches.

Warnings

Israel on Sunday warned those living near the Israeli border in southern Lebanon to abandon their homes as it stepped up its assault on positions of the Hezbollah militia active in the area.

The Israeli government said it expected the wave of humanity sweeping north would pressure the Lebanese government and people to turn against Hezbollah and blame it for their predicament.

So far, however, the Lebanese anger has been directed at the Jewish state.

Israeli warplanes on Monday were staging intensive raids on villages neighbouring Tyre, including Houla, Shaqra and Talloussa, but police had no immediate casualty reports.

Phosphorous bombs

Lebanese authorities have charged that forest fires sparked by the bombardments cutting off several villages were triggered by phosphorus bombs - incendiary weapons banned by international law.

Six days of Israeli attacks have cost at least 170 lives across Lebanon, almost all of them civilians, according to an AFP tally compiled from official reports and medics.

- AFP